IT Technology Unifies Images, Data, and Reporting Workflows Throughout Hospital Enterprise
|
By HospiMedica International staff writers Posted on 31 Jul 2014 |
A new integrated information technology (IT) system will unify images, data, and reporting workflows across all imaging departments in a hospital. The technology will allow hospitals to expand towards the latest, advanced imaging technology platform.
Az Groeninge Hospital (Kortrijk, Belgium) has chosen to replace its existing third-party picture archiving and communication system (PACS) with a comprehensive Impax radiology information system (RIS)/PACS/reporting solution. Agfa HealthCare (Mortsel, Belgium) will provide all hardware (excluding the storage) and will manage both hardware and software, under an Agfa HealthCare system management agreement.
Az Groeninge is a large regional hospital and is affiliated with the KU Leuven Hospital network. It is the result of a merger of four hospitals in Kortrijk. With over 1,000 beds, it is one of the largest hospitals in Belgium. Annually, it admits some 35,000 inpatients and some 47,500 outpatients. Az Groeninge is the first nonuniversity hospital in the Benelux to obtain the high level international Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation for patient safety and quality of healthcare (2013). It is also focused on always maintaining the latest and most innovative technology.
The hospital chose to implement the Impax RIS/PACS/reporting solution. The Az Groeninge/Agfa HealthCare agreement includes: Impax RIS/PACS workflow system for data management and reporting. It will be implemented for all imaging departments, in a hospital-wide solution. The existing Impax RIS will also be upgraded to the latest version. Clinical applications include: tight integration with Impax provides point-of-care access to clinical applications such as Fusion and 3D (three-dimensions), supporting, e.g., the positron emission tomography (PET) imaging department with the most advanced technology.
The ICIS (imaging clinical information system) View enables enhanced viewing, sharing, and integration across platforms, with all images from all sources accessible on a single browser-based viewer. The ICIS vendor-neutral archive (VNA) allows integrated archiving of multidepartment, multifacility, and multispecialty imaging data.
The Impax BI is an advanced business intelligence (BI) platform that facilitates healthcare managers and care providers to compile, organize and manage clinical, quality, financial and administrative data. The hospital will continue to use the existing Agfa HealthCare web portal to exchange information with external referring physicians.
Agfa HealthCare will manage both software and hardware under the agreement. This will include monitoring the availability and performance of the local network, server hardware, local network, and operating systems; database management; and backup management. “We were convinced to extend our relationship with Agfa HealthCare not only due to the quality of its solutions, but especially to the strength and availability of its service and support,” comments Dr. Olivier Vanovermeire, head of medical imaging, Az Groeninge. “Agfa HealthCare is a company with a solid structure and proven expertise in medical imaging. And it is a reliable partner in our market, which is important for the future.”
“We are very pleased to have this opportunity to further strengthen our relationship with Az Groeninge, supporting its evolution with our enterprise-wide solutions, as well as our services and support organization,” stated Hans Vandewyngaerde, president, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) at Agfa HealthCare.
Related Links:
Az Groeninge Hospital
Agfa HealthCare
Az Groeninge Hospital (Kortrijk, Belgium) has chosen to replace its existing third-party picture archiving and communication system (PACS) with a comprehensive Impax radiology information system (RIS)/PACS/reporting solution. Agfa HealthCare (Mortsel, Belgium) will provide all hardware (excluding the storage) and will manage both hardware and software, under an Agfa HealthCare system management agreement.
Az Groeninge is a large regional hospital and is affiliated with the KU Leuven Hospital network. It is the result of a merger of four hospitals in Kortrijk. With over 1,000 beds, it is one of the largest hospitals in Belgium. Annually, it admits some 35,000 inpatients and some 47,500 outpatients. Az Groeninge is the first nonuniversity hospital in the Benelux to obtain the high level international Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation for patient safety and quality of healthcare (2013). It is also focused on always maintaining the latest and most innovative technology.
The hospital chose to implement the Impax RIS/PACS/reporting solution. The Az Groeninge/Agfa HealthCare agreement includes: Impax RIS/PACS workflow system for data management and reporting. It will be implemented for all imaging departments, in a hospital-wide solution. The existing Impax RIS will also be upgraded to the latest version. Clinical applications include: tight integration with Impax provides point-of-care access to clinical applications such as Fusion and 3D (three-dimensions), supporting, e.g., the positron emission tomography (PET) imaging department with the most advanced technology.
The ICIS (imaging clinical information system) View enables enhanced viewing, sharing, and integration across platforms, with all images from all sources accessible on a single browser-based viewer. The ICIS vendor-neutral archive (VNA) allows integrated archiving of multidepartment, multifacility, and multispecialty imaging data.
The Impax BI is an advanced business intelligence (BI) platform that facilitates healthcare managers and care providers to compile, organize and manage clinical, quality, financial and administrative data. The hospital will continue to use the existing Agfa HealthCare web portal to exchange information with external referring physicians.
Agfa HealthCare will manage both software and hardware under the agreement. This will include monitoring the availability and performance of the local network, server hardware, local network, and operating systems; database management; and backup management. “We were convinced to extend our relationship with Agfa HealthCare not only due to the quality of its solutions, but especially to the strength and availability of its service and support,” comments Dr. Olivier Vanovermeire, head of medical imaging, Az Groeninge. “Agfa HealthCare is a company with a solid structure and proven expertise in medical imaging. And it is a reliable partner in our market, which is important for the future.”
“We are very pleased to have this opportunity to further strengthen our relationship with Az Groeninge, supporting its evolution with our enterprise-wide solutions, as well as our services and support organization,” stated Hans Vandewyngaerde, president, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) at Agfa HealthCare.
Related Links:
Az Groeninge Hospital
Agfa HealthCare
Latest Health IT News
- Clinical Decision Support Tool Automates CKD Risk Assessment in Primary Care
- EHR Alerts Support Dosing, Sedation, and Shock Recognition in Cardiac Care
- Adaptive Radiation QA Software Gains Validation for NeoArc Treatments
- Healthcare Database Helps Close Long COVID Surveillance Gap
- Smartphone App Improves Blood Pressure Control in Hypertension
- New Tablet Platform Extends Stroke Neurorehabilitation Beyond the Clinic
- Registry-Driven Digital Outreach Boosts Use of Heart Failure Medicines
- Nurse-Coordinated Care Model Improves Heart Failure Outcomes
- Imaging Tool Quantifies Calcinosis Cutis Volume to Monitor Treatment
- Digital Symptom Monitoring Supports More Personalized Breast Cancer Care
- Short Digital Training Program Improves Motor Function in Parkinson’s Disease
- New Cloud Platform Streamlines Capsule Endoscopy Workflow and Reporting
- Smartwatch Monitoring Identifies Abnormal Vital Signs Before Routine Checks
- Weekly Remote Symptom Monitoring Improves Symptom Control in Advanced Cancer
- Digital Heart Model Supports Targeted Ablation in Atrial Fibrillation
- AI Framework Helps Clinicians Create Trustworthy Risk Prediction Tools
Channels
Artificial Intelligence
view channel
AI Tool Predicts Hypertensive Crisis Up to 72 Hours Ahead
A hypertensive crisis is a rapid and severe rise in blood pressure above 180/120 mm Hg accompanied by acute end-organ damage. It can lead to stroke, heart attack, kidney injury, aortic dissection, or pulmonary... Read more
AI Tool Predicts Suicide Risk in Emergency Departments from Routine Data
Suicide-related behavior (SRB) risk can be difficult to identify in emergency rooms, particularly when patients do not disclose mental health concerns. Existing screening approaches in South African emergency... Read moreCritical Care
view channel
Circuit-Free Smart Patch Uses Smartphone Camera to Monitor Pulse and Vessel Stiffness
Routine cardiovascular monitoring often relies on electronic sensors, cables, or specialized equipment, which can limit its use beyond hospitals, ambulances, general practice clinics, and emergency rooms.... Read moreChest Digital Twin Guides Light Therapy Dosing for Pneumonia
Pneumonia is a lung infection that can impair gas exchange and progress to severe respiratory compromise. Light-based therapies may help treat infection or inflammation, but externally applied light must... Read moreSurgical Techniques
view channel
FDA Approves First Transcatheter Device for Paravalvular Leak Closure
Paravalvular leak is a backflow of blood around a surgical heart valve that can follow valve replacement, causing heart failure symptoms or hemolysis. These leaks occur in 7%–17% of mitral valve replacements... Read more
Smaller Surgical Margins May Help Protect Healthy Tissue in Young Sarcoma Patients
Non-rhabdomyosarcoma soft tissue sarcomas arise in tissues that normally develop into muscles, nerves, and tendons. Removing these tumors in children and young adults requires balancing cancer clearance... Read morePatient Care
view channel
Video-Based Support Helps Older Adults Clarify Kidney Disease Treatment Preferences
Advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) involves progressive loss of kidney function that can lead to kidney failure and difficult treatment decisions. For older adults, these decisions may include choosing... Read more
Expert Review Outlines Diagnosis and Treatment of Recurrent Catheter Infections
Patients who rely on long-term intravenous catheters for chemotherapy, hemodialysis, intravenous nutrition, and other essential therapies remain at risk of catheter-related bloodstream infections.... Read moreHealth IT
view channel
Clinical Decision Support Tool Automates CKD Risk Assessment in Primary Care
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) requires timely diagnosis, risk assessment, and coordinated treatment in primary care. Delayed recognition can affect decisions about testing, blood pressure control, cardiovascular... Read more
EHR Alerts Support Dosing, Sedation, and Shock Recognition in Cardiac Care
Electronic health record alerts can add to clinician workload when they are poorly targeted. In critical cardiac care, however, delayed decisions can affect treatment timing, sedation exposure, and escalation... Read morePoint of Care
view channel
Continuous Glucose Monitoring Identifies Cardiometabolic Risk in Adults Without Diabetes
Dysglycemia—abnormal blood glucose regulation—can fluctuate throughout the day and often escape conventional screening. Clinicians typically rely on fasting plasma glucose and hemoglobin A1c, which offer... Read more
Microneedle Patch Enables At-Home Monitoring of Acute Kidney Injury
Kidney disease is often silent in its early stages, making timely detection difficult outside clinical settings. Early biomarkers such as neutrophil gelatinase–associated lipocalin can require blood draws... Read moreBusiness
view channel
Steris to Expand Surgical Safety Portfolio With $2.1 Billion Xodus Medical Deal
Steris has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Xodus Medical, a specialty surgical products business based in Pennsylvania, for $2.1 billion at closing. The acquisition will expand Steris’s healthcare... Read more
Stryker Enters Soft-Tissue Robotics Through Strategic Alliance With CMR Surgical
Stryker (Portage, MI, USA) and CMR Surgical (Cambridge, UK) have announced a strategic alliance centered on the Versius Surgical Robotic portfolio. The agreement includes an approximately USD 400 million... Read more







